Leave Out All the Rest
by UchihaCherryBlossoms
Summary: Songfic, based on "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park. Sakura and Sasuke both contemplate the night that he left Konoha, and think about their pasts and wish on their futures. Prequel to Penalties. Oneshot, Complete.


Summary - It has been 8 years since Sasuke left Konoha, and Sakura and Sasuke are both thinking about that night and the things that have happened since. Set to the song "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park. They have this song playing at work this month and every time I hear it the song makes me think of these two. *heart*

The Characters and Story are not mine, they belong to Kishimoto-dono, and that's where they should stay! I also do not own the amazing song by Linkin Park, they sing it a lot better than I do…

Story, speach, thoughts

_Song Lyrics_

*****

Sakura was sitting in a tree on the outskirts of the leaf village, watching the sun set on yet another day. It was the anniversary of the day that he had left, and she had been feeling down all day. Even after 8 years, she still walked out that gate at sunset, looked at that bench, the one that he had left her unconscious on, and jumped up to the top of the tallest tree that she could find on the edge of the forest to watch the sunset. It seemed that everyone else had gotten over the fact that he had left everything behind, left all of his friends and his team behind in his quest for vengeance. She seemed to be the only person that was still openly suffering because of his defection. She still cried at night, still had nightmares in which his face haunted her, the sound of his voice calling out to her, and of all of the fears that her imagination had created, seeing his body laying on the ground in a pool of blood, lifeless, or the opposite, seeing the bodies of the people she loved laying on the ground at his feet.

So, every year on this day, she would come out of the village and sit in that tree and watch the stars come out and pray that this would be the year that he would return. Little did she know that she was not the only person staring at the sunset on that very night.

*****

This was a day that no matter how hard he tried, he just could not conquer his emotions. For some reason, he had tried so hard to sever the bonds that had tied him to his old village so that he could become strong, but on this day all of his emotional control snapped. He would leave the company of his team and find the tallest tree in the area they were in and watch the sunset. Looking back on the past year, he would contemplate his accomplishments, reflect on his achievements, and try to convince himself that leaving was worth it. Leaving behind the people that he cared about, one more than the others. Having to leave her behind was the hardest thing that he had ever done, including everything he had done after that fateful night. It had been 8 long years, and he was still unsure of what his life held in store for him, only that he had to keep going, keep fighting, and most of all, keep telling himself that he did the right thing.

_I dreamed I was missing_

_You were so scared_

_But no one would listen_

_Cause no one else cared_

_After my dreaming_

_I woke with this fear_

_What am I leaving_

_When I'm done here_

As the sun finally sank below the horizon, Sakura laid her head back against the bark of the tree and watched the first stars start to come out. Remembering the nights spent on the road with her squad and the times that the three of them would lay out on a hilltop or in a tree watching the stars brings a single tear to her eye. She quickly blinks it away and scrubs at her eyes with the back of her hand. She was so tired of being sad, tired of crying over him but, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't forget him.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done_

_Help me leave behind some_

_Reasons to be missed_

_And don't resent me_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory_

_Leave out all the rest_

_Leave out all the rest_

Looking at the first few stars that had come out now that the sun had receded below the hills, Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to picture her face. It had been 6 years since he had last seen her, so he was sure that she had surely changed since then. What was she doing now? Had she found someone else? Was she happy? There was no way for him to know. Trying to remember the details of her face, the petal pink hair, the shining emerald green eyes, her high cheekbones, and that perfect smile. The smile that had been making his heart melt every time that he thought of it lately. He tried to picture what her smile would look like if he returned. Would it be happy, happy to see him again after all this time, or would it be sad, even angry, for making her wait for so long. He couldn't see her being too angry, she had always been the first one to forgive him for any wrong doing he did back in their ninja days, but he wasn't sure. Maybe this was too much for her to forgive him for.

_Don't be afraid_

_I've taken my beating_

_I've shared what I made_

_I'm strong on the surface_

_Not all the way through_

_I've never been perfect_

_But neither have you_

Remembering the good times when they were together usually made her smile but tonight, all they did was cause more tears to slip from her eyes. The time when they had all tried so hard to see what Kakashi's face really looked like under his mask, the constant bickering between the two boys on who was better, who was stronger, who had the biggest… well. All of the memories that she had of him were slowly tearing her heart to pieces the more she though of them.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done_

_Help me leave behind some_

_Reasons to be missed_

_Don't resent me_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory_

_Leave out all the rest_

_Leave out all the rest_

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he sees a shooting star streak across the sky. Never being the superstitious kind, he whispers to the night sky.

"Please, don't forget about me, because I just can't forget about you. I will come for you…"

_Forgetting_

_All the hurt inside_

_You've learned to hide so well_

_Pretending_

_Someone else can come and save me from myself_

_I can't be who you are_

She blinks away the last of the tears just in time to see a bright shooting star make it's way through the branches of the trees. She smiles weakly, and wishes the same wish that she had said ever since he had left.

"Please, come back to me."

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done_

_Help me leave behind some_

_Reasons to be missed_

_Don't resent me_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory_

_Leave out all the rest_

_Leave out all the rest_

Taking one last look at the stars, Sasuke hops down from his perch in the tree, walking back towards the place he had left his group. His hand brushes against the crumpled and creased piece of paper in the inner pocket of his shirt. One that he had looked at and held onto for so long now that you could barely see what it depicted. The one picture that he had of team 7, with Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Sakura, and himself. The one piece of his past that he clung to, refusing to let it go. Smiling to himself, he walks with his head held high, and his feet facing forward, knowing that whatever happens, he would return one day. For her.

_Forgetting_

_All the hurt inside_

_You've learned to hide so well_

_Pretending_

_Someone else can come and save me from myself_

_I can't be who you are_

_I can't be who you are_

Rubbing her eyes again with her hand, Sakura sits up and silently drops down onto the forest floor. Looking upwards one last time, she starts towards the village gates. Smiling to herself, she promises herself the same thing that she has each year.

"I miss you, Sasuke-kun. I will wait for you… forever."

*****


End file.
